


Sinking Man

by tinasnewt



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Lori Dies, M/M, Tumblr Prompt, Tumblr fill, Walkers, car crash, raryl, season two, twd, walking dead - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2019-06-23 18:23:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15612252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinasnewt/pseuds/tinasnewt
Summary: Filling a tumblr prompt: Daryl/Rick + What would have happened if Lori had died in that car accident in season two





	Sinking Man

**Author's Note:**

> Please don’t judge me too harshly! I haven’t watched the show in AGES and have never written about it before. Thank you to shelton-devers on tumblr for requesting this! I hope it was what you wanted.

   It was silent. The constant noise that had filled the air from day to night had disappeared as the apocalypse worsened, the only sound being the turn of the rubber wheels speeding down the cracked pavement. Noise was one thing Lori didn't think she'd miss, but did. Everything seemed so... still. You always had to be alert. Any noise you heard could be a potential threat. Lori drove quickly, flashes of green passing her by. Her arm reached down to grab a map, and she she came back up with it in her arm, her car impacted with a body. It rolled across the top of the car as it growled and grappled, cracking the car's windshield and spattering it with blood. Lori screamed as loud as she could and jerked the steering wheel. The car went flying through the air as it impact with a tree, rolling atop itself multiple times before coming to a stop. Blood seeped out of the window, but it was from the remnants of the walker. It was from Lori Grimes.

+

    "Lori? Where's Lori?!" Rick Grimes yelled as he got back to the farm, Maggie Greene watching him suspiciously as he ran up the trail. He had discovered Lori was gone only minutes before, and had a total meltdown. Carl, his son, watched through the window as his father paced around the farm, yelling obscenities and on the verge of tears when he found out she had gone out without him. Soon after that, Rick and Daryl had gotten into a truck together, speeding down the windy road as the sun began to set.

Daryl drove, jerkily turning the wheel of the truck as warm air seeping through the cracked window whipped his hair around. Rick simply stare out the window, watching the greenery as they passed it. All he could think about was Lori. What if she had gotten lost? What if the bandits had gotten her? What if a walker... no. He could not let himself think like that. Soon, the road became bumpy as the tires of the truck crunched on the rocks beneath it. Rick thought he saw a spatter of blood, and removed his hand from his beard to tap on Daryl. "Slow down," Rick said, slackening his pistol from its holder. Daryl seemed to notice the crimson stains on the rock, and a glint of light made him lean out of the car window for a better look. Exploded shards of glass lay everywhere, and the mangled body of a walker was tangled up in a bush ahead of them. He removed his foot from the peddle, allowing the truck to coast down the slight hill as he and Rick observed the area. "There!" Rick shouted, his finger pointing to a figure in the distance. It was large and blue, though you could hardly tell in the dimming light. It was clearly a very large object. Daryl pressed his foot against the accelerator, making the truck speed up toward the object. At the same time, both of them recognized the object as a car that had been at Hershel's farm, and Daryl slammed on the breaks as Rick unbuckled himself and jumped out of the still moving car, not allowing himself time to acknowledge the persistent sting of his arms as he ran toward the vehicle. It's engine was loud and running, though the car was upside down and smashed into a tree. "Daryl!" Rick bellowed, trying to find a way to pry open the car doors. "DARYL!"

    Only second laters was Daryl there, his arms pushing the side of the car. "We gotta get at all the way 'round," Daryl stated, slapping Rick's arm. He stopped beating and pulling at the door immediately, instead mimicking Daryl and helping him push the car over. His muscles screamed in protest as he groaned, though after a moment and a rather forceful shove, the car began to turn over. 

    The creaking of it being turned over masked the slow, scratching noises that were being made on the driver's seat window.

    Rick was red faced and drenched in sweat by the time the car was upright, and he then noticed the windshield was smashed open. "Daryl, over here!" He ordered, before running in front of it. 

    The site before him caused him to falter, falling to his knees as he pressed his palms into his eyes, a loud cry coming from his throat. There was Lori, though it wasn't Lori. Her face was cut up completely, though her skin was dull and she growled, body convulsing as her walked counterpart tried to free itself from the restraints of her seat belt. Daryl stopped dead in his tracks at the scene before him, the only light being that from the headlights of the truck, only a few feet away. "Lori," Rick sobbed her name into the night, beating his hands on the ground. "Aw, no, Lori... What about Carl?" He had broken down completely, his head resting on the shredded grass and shattered glass beneath him. Daryl hesitantly kneeled beside his new friend, considering whether he should console him or not. 

After the worst of it had passed, Daryl lit a fire a few meters away from Rick, who was pacing back and forth. He knew what he had to do, yet, he couldn't bring himself to it. To shoot his own wife- dead or not, inhumane or not... he didn't think he'd have the strength. Glass cracked underneath his boots as he paced, the crunching of the grass almost defeating in the night, though the sound of crickets chirping was far louder than the minimal noise Rick was producing, besides from a few sniffs. Daryl turned back to the fire, warming his hands. Suddenly, he heard Rick utter a curse word, stomping, a loud bang, and a humanlike thud behind him. It was followed by the sound of moaning, and Daryl feared the worst, fearing that Rick had ended his own life- but, when he turned around, he saw Rick shaking on the ground, curled into the fetal position as blood trailed down the hood of the wrecked car. Daryl allowed his friend a few more moments of grievance before hoisting him up, bringing him to the fire to warm his frozen body. They sat together in silence, and Daryl shared a cigarette for him. After a moment, Rick croaked, "She was my wife."

Daryl sighed, not knowing how to react. He had never loved or felt love, the only person he was close to was his brother, Merle... he'd been devastated when he'd been lost. "I know how you feel," he said gruffly, taking a swig out of a flask he pulled from an inner pocket of his jacket. He winced as the liquor burned its way down its throat. "When I lost Merle... it felt like the whole world was gonna end. You gotta fight through it, Rick. The scars... they never go away, not the mental ones... but they're in here." Daryl tapped his head. "You gotta live here." He mimicked his previous movements on the ground. "You never imagine somethin' like this happening but... it does."

    Rick wiped his face, ignoring the dull twinge his nose gave. "What am I gonna tell Carl?"

    "You're gonna tell him all about his mother, even the bad. You're gonna let him grow up with her, in spirit. You're gonna heal, and you're gonna heal together. That's a promise."

**Author's Note:**

> Soooooo... that was that! Thank you SO much for reading! Constructive criticism is encourage, as is giving kudos and leaving nice comments. My tumblr is fuckyeahnewtina if you want to contact me or request a fic! Again, thanks so much for reading!


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